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What’s the deal with Solar anyway – Part 2: How Solar Works

August 25th, 2010

Most people understand that you can save a lot of money by using solar energy but not a lot of people know how it actually makes electricity. This is a basic description of the components, what they do, and how they all work together. First, the solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. When the sun’s rays hit the specially coated silicon in the solar panels, electrons are released. Due to the way the silicon is laid out in the panels the current or electricity flows out in one direction. In other words, solar panels make direct current electricity. Direct current electricity is great but it does not work with our house’s electrical circuits. Our homes (and businesses) use AC or alternating current to power all of our lights, appliances, some heaters, and many other things.

The device that converts the solar panel’s direct current into alternating current is called the inverter. This device collects all of the direct current electricity and converts it to usable AC electricity for our homes and businesses. Inverters are usually placed next to your breaker panel for easy access. The electricity from the inverter (now AC) goes right into your breaker panel and flows through your home so that you can use it.

Now that you have usable AC electricity flowing from your inverter into your home, a few other questions come to mind. What happens if I produce more electricity than I use? Do I get paid for the electricity I produce? All of these questions can be answered by learning a concept called net-metering. Net-Metering is the process where your utility company replaces your existing electrical meter with a new bi-directional meter. This new meter spins both ways allowing for electricity to flow out onto the grid. If that’s the case and your solar system is using more power than you are consuming, your utility will credit you for the power that you generate. Basically, your utility company will be able to keep track of how much energy you consume from the grid and how much power you generate from your solar system because of your fancy new net-meter. At the end of the month your utility company will charge you the difference between your usage and your production. For example: if you used 800 kilowatt hours of electricity but your solar system produced 600 kilowatt hours, the utility company would only charge your for 200 kilowatt hours. That means that your solar is offsetting roughly 75% of your energy needs for that month. Hooray for sunshine!

What’s the deal with Solar Anyway – Part 1: The Benefits

August 20th, 2010

Solar energy systems create clean, usable, predictable electricity. The sunlight that hits the panels in converted directly into electricity that flows through an inverter (the device that makes the electricity identical to that of the grid) and then into your home. These days we can predict with a great degree of accuracy how much energy your system will produce due to decades of weather research conducted by the national renewable energy laboratory. Additionally, most solar panels carry a 25 year power production warranty as well. This means that electricity generation is not only predictable, it is reliable too.

Another benefit of utilizing solar energy is that there are no moving parts. Technically, there is a fan or two inside the inverter to maintain cool temperatures but other than that solar has no moving components. This means that systems can last well over 20 years while continually producing electricity for you and your family.

Lastly, utility companies are allowing homeowners to “tie” into their grid in a process called net-metering. This means that you do not have to store the electricity generated by the solar panels in batteries. Instead, the system is designed to send electricity out onto the utility grid when it is not being used in your home. You are credited by your utility company for the electricity you produce so they subtract the total production from your monthly bill. Its a great partnership that allows utility companies and homeowners to benefit from renewable energy together. Some utility companies even have rebates that significantly reduce the cost of a solar system. These rebates will vary by utility company but everyone is able to utilize the 30% Federal tax credit that is guaranteed to be around until 2016.

The beauty of solar energy is that protects you from increasing energy costs. Basically, if you bought a solar system today, you would be paying your future electrical bills in one up-front lump sum. That way you are not affected by increasing energy costs in the future. Depending on the price of electricity and the cost of the system, your system could pay itself off in less than 10 years. After that point your system will continue producing electricity for you that you do not have to pay a utility company for.

The diagram above depicts Xcel Energy’s summertime billing structure. As you can see, they divided their billing structure into two tiers. The first 500 kilowatt hours you use are charged at one rate and everything else above that is charged at a higher rate. Electricity is getting expensive. Solar allows you to protect yourself against increasing costs.

What’s the deal with Solar Anyway – a series of articles about features, benefits, impacts, and REAL costs of solar

August 20th, 2010

A question I get asked all of the time is “What’s the deal with solar?” It’s a perfect question because it reveals a few things about the average person. 1. They have heard about solar energy in some capacity. 2. They have enough of an interest in the topic to ask the question. I think everyone knows a little something about solar but there is so much information on the topic it can be hard to get the story straight.

This series of articles will break down the different aspects of what a solar energy is all about. And don’t worry, there will be pictures…lots of pictures.

Solar Gardens – Smell the Flowers

August 13th, 2010

Solar Gardens are going to be a big deal in Colorado. They allow people who do not have good access to direct sunlight (or people who do not want to install panels on their residence) the ability to buy “a share” in a solar array so that they too may enjoy the benefits of clean energy. This means that people in apartment complexes, condominiums, shady neighborhoods, and other proton blocking predicaments can go solar.

A Brief History: House Bill 1342, sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy and Sen. Suzanne Williams, was created to give Colorado residents a choice of where their energy comes from. In the past Coloradans did not have a choice of where their energy was coming from. Coal fired power plants generate that majority of power in the state and that was the only source to utilize. This bill, that was recently signed and approved by Gov. Bill Ritter, allows consumers to have a choice of how their electrical energy is generated. What a novel idea in a free market?

But what will this mean? Let’s take a look over both sides of the fence and see how this new development impacts all of the stakeholders involved.

Just like any big development in a new industry, there are mixed feelings about its arrival. Proponents include the group of renters, leasers, legislators, politicians, and others listed above. These folks are ecstatic about the new opportunity. Now consumers will be able to purchase a small portion of a large solar array and their utility company will credit their bill with the energy (kilowatt hours) that those panels produce. This is great news for this group! Hooray for solar.

Opposers include individuals who believe in true distributed generation and small solar companies who will not be able to compete in the expensive garden model. True distributed generation nerds (like me) claim that solar gardens do not provide the same level of benefits as a solar system on a person’s roof or yard. To them (us), having a massive power plant out in the Boonies blurs the lines between clean carbon free generation and everything else. You see, the true beauty of distributed solar (roof mounted or ground mounted on the user’s property) is that the electricity is produced locally on site. The electrons aren’t traveling 50 miles through transmission lines or getting bumped up with transformers. It is right there, producing clean energy for you and your meter.

The other stakeholders involved in the mix are the solar companies. Some companies are ecstatic about the new solar garden opportunity. They will be able to finance, design, install, maintain, and sell “shares” to a large group of Colorado residents. The problem that begins to surface is that there are only a few companies that have the ability and resources to accomplish all of those activities. Due to the fact that the solar industry is fairly new in Colorado many companies will be left to only peek through the fence at the new gardens.

Whether you agree or disagree with the planting of solar gardens in a community near you, we can all agree that it’s always better having a field of solar panels in your backyard than of a nuclear tower or coal fired power plant back there.

Our company believes that whether you participate in a solar garden or buy/lease solar for your home, you are investing in a cleaner future for everyone. If you are interested in weighing the options between investing in a solar farm or a system for your roof just give us a call and we will help you sort through the weeds.

For your Free, No Obligation Solar Quote: Call (720) 259-0000 or click here

written by: Ben Thacker – Marketing Manager at IES Solar

Seeking Residential Sales Consultant for Colorado Solar Company

August 12th, 2010

Job Description: The Residential Energy Sales Consultant (RESC) will prospect for and qualify leads, perfrom intial solar site visit and develop initial PV design, create pricing and proposals, negotiate contracts, close deals and log all activity into CRM software.

Specific duties include:
1. Closing deals and signing contracts
2. Roof top PV design
3. Meeting margin and revenue sales goals
4. Maintain ongoing relationships with clients to develop ongoing referrals,
5. Work with marketing to execute marketing trade shows and targeted energy workshops with the intent to generate sales leads.

Experience:
1. Over 5 years of proven success selling “in-home” services with demonstrable ability to close deals.
2. At least 2 years of grid-tied solar electric sales experience
3. Familiarity or experience with finance models such as Power Purchase Agreements, lease products or performance contracting.
4. Experience performing financial calculations and communicatign their value to clients (IRR, ROI, NPV etc)
5. Knowledge of state, utility and federal incentives relating to Solar Electric solutions
6. Experience utilizing CRM software platforms
7. Advanced computer skills with specific strength in MS Xcel and PowerPoint

Skills:
1. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with an ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment
2. Technical acumen with an ability to read and understand technical documents, blue prints and complex contract documents
3. Strong computer skills in Xcel, and other MS office programs. CAD knowledge is beneficial
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills with an ability to effectively communicate to clients, vendors, sub-contractors, colleagues and cross-functionally to achieve specific goals
5. Sense of urgency and positive attitude with ability to influence events to achieve goals.
Compensation: Commission based. Applicant must have prior history of achieving over $70,000 in commission based pay.

Please Submit Resumes to info@iessolar.net by 9/1/10. You will be notified if you are scheduled for a phone interview. Successful applicants will then proceed to face-to-face interviews.

Re-roofing + Solar = Super Savings

August 11th, 2010

It might be common knowledge now that investing in solar for you home can save you an incredible amount of money in avoided future energy costs. But it is less known that solar energy systems can produce consistent amounts of power for over 25 years. That means that those panels could be on your roof for a long time. That’s why our solar design team looks at our potential customers roofs in extreme detail.

IES Solar checks your roof’s age, structural integrity, and external condition when assessing whether or not solar is right for you. Sometimes we run into a roof that is not in good enough shape to put solar panels on. The roof could be too old, lack adequate structural supports, have hail damage, or already leak frequently. These are all bad signs when thinking about investing in solar.

Our best recommendation for a roof with any of the symptoms listed above is to get your roof replaced before going solar. Installing a new roof or re-roofing will ensure that your “solar foundation” is in the best shape possible prior to the panels being installed. And in some cases we will even work with your roofing company to simultaneously install your solar foundation. This means that your roofing company will take off or remove your existing roof and then we will install the stand-offs or connection points for the panels. After all of the connection points are in the roofing company will install your new roof and cover the connection points with the waterproof roof material. Finally the solar panels can be easily placed on the connection points and the job will be complete.

The main benefit in installing the solar connection points and the new roof at the same time is complete weatherproofing. We never have to drill a hole or penetrate your roof when we can install the connection points and have the new roof installed over them. It’s seamless and completely waterproof! We recently completed this type of installation in Denver. Our customer had Horn Brothers Roofing install a new Gerard metal roof on her home and allowed us to install this “seamless” type of solar foundation. Horn Brothers Roofing was incredibly easy to work with and very professional. The Gerard metal roof integrated perfectly into our solar connections and the system turned out looking great.

Get your Free solar quote: by calling (720) 259-0000 or clicking here

NASCAR track and facility to run entirely on solar

August 4th, 2010

Pocono raceway in Pennsylvania is NASCAR’s first track to operate entirely by solar energy. More than 40,000 panels make up the 3 megawatt system. Every year this massive power plant will produce over 3.6 million kilowatts of power for the track offsetting more than 100% of their power needs. The excess will power almost 1,000 homes in the surrounding area. NASCAR is extremely pleased with the $18 million dollar investment and is entertaining the idea of expanding the system at some point.

It’s official, solar more cost effective than nuclear power

August 2nd, 2010

Thanks to an article written by inhabit and research compiled by Duke University, solar power is officially cheaper than nuclear power. This is fantastic news for future energy development projects. If solar is more cost effective than alternative (dirty) forms of power production, utility companies and legislators will continue supporting it’s large-scale development. The one catch and exception in this news is that areas of the country with greater amounts of sunshine will benefit substantially more than areas with consistent precipitation. But for those of us lucky enough to live in parts of the country with 300 days of sunshine we should start seeing more and more utility scale solar in our backyards…and that is always better having a nuclear power plant back there.

College guys ride bikes across country for noble cause

July 30th, 2010

Around 100 college aged men from all around the country are riding their bikes from West coast to East coast to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities. The 100 men split up into three teams and are riding three different routes that will ultimately finish on the steps of the capital building in Washington D.C.

While the distances these men are riding are impressive, the amounts of money they are raising for other organizations is astounding. Every rider has to raise a minimum of $5,000 and each crew member must raise $3,000 to secure their spot on the team. Over the 22 years this cross country ride has been going on, more than $15 million dollars has been raised for local disability programs. Read more about Push America on their website which is linked below.

http://www.pushamerica.org/howwehelp/cycling/journeyofhope.cfm

Denver non-profit brings renewable energy to rural africa

July 29th, 2010

Elephant Energy, a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado and Katima Mulilo, Namibia, supports wildlife conservancies in Africa through the sale of small-scale renewable energy devices. For instance, if one solar powered flashlight is sold in the states, Elephant Energy will use the proceeds to help sustain/establish a wildlife conservancy AND distribute an additional flashlight to a rural community member.

http://elephantenergy.org/Home_Page.html

Description of the Organization (In their own words)
“A conservancy consists of a bounded area of communal land, the residents of which banded together for the purpose of using wildlife sustainably and generating funds for development. In the past, communal area residents received few benefits from wildlife, but suffered the costs caused by problem animals. An elephant can destroy an entire crop in a few minutes and a pride of lions can quickly dispatch a herd of cattle. In the past, poaching was the solution to these problems. In response, the government passed legislation allowing communal area residents to directly receive revenue from trophy hunting and tourism concessions. This provides an incentive for conservancy residents to protect wildlife as well as funding for rural development.

For the conservancy to be recognized by the Namibian government, the conservancy must have managers who represent the people living in the area. It must also be governed by a constitution providing for the sustainable use of game, have geographic boundaries negotiated with other communities and have the capacity to manage funds and a method for equitable benefit distribution. As of 2008, there were over 50 registered conservancies in Namibia, nine of which were in the Caprivi Region. Since the conservancy program began, community game guards have recorded decreased incidences of poaching and increased wildlife numbers. Millions of dollars in income from trophy hunting and tourism now flow directly to rural residents, paying for necessities such as medicine, schools fees, food and water pumps. The conservancy system has shown that wildlife and people can live and thrive together.”

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